Table 1 Sample of selected measures (name, country, short description)
From: Addressing energy poverty through technological and governance innovation
Measure (name, country, source) | Description |
|---|---|
Mieterstrom-Modell, Germany | Promotes decentralized electricity supply. The tenant electricity model is based on the interaction between landlords, tenants and electricity providers: the landlord produces electricity from renewable sources locally on the house and sells it directly to his tenants through the electricity supplier. The local sale has advantages for both sides: the landlord's investments become more profitable, while the electricity costs for the tenants fall |
Clean Air Act, Poland | Double goal: improvement of energy efficiency and reduction of air pollution. Ten-year long programme in family households. Through modernization of buildings, this program aims to reduce emissions of pollutants (mainly carbon dioxide) and reduce final energy consumption. It is also oriented toward the use of renewable energy sources. The innovative aspect of this program is that it is the only one aimed at improving the condition of single-family buildings. In addition, its purpose is to shape attitudes related to energy efficiency of households |
Coach Copro, France | CoachCopro is an independent and free digital platform to coordinate and assess about energy renovation with the following objectives: to reduce co-ownership charges and energy bills, to improve thermal comfort winter as summer, to assure the valuation of its real estate value and to reduce the CO2 emissions from the buildings. The main goal of the project is the renovation of the Parisian residential park for different reasons: reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and reduction of energy consumption; anticipation of the exhaustion of resources and increased energy prices; mastery of energy charges; and the fight against fuel poverty. The renovation programme includes different steps: (1) energy situation diagnosis, (2) choosing the works to be performed (mandated to individualize the heating costs, insulation renovations), (3) establish a funding plan, (4) organising tasks and (5) performing tasks. The digital platform is oriented to co-owners, members of the trade union council, the co-owner 'energy referent', trustees and their managers, OPAH operators and building professionals |
Servei d'assessorament energetic, Barcelona, Spain (Points for Energy Advice—PAEs) https://www.ecoserveis.net/coneix-els-punts-dassessorament-energetic-pae/ | This measure consists of Physical Energy Advice Points located around the city. The available services offered are: (1) energy saving and energy efficiency assessment and advice, including energy audits if necessary, (2) energy contracts counselling and (3) orientation and advice on benefits procedures |
Energy Café, UK | Civil society action to deliver energy poverty alleviation at local level. These energy cafes are run by community groups, they rely on local knowledge and knowing the local context. Due to reliance on volunteers and stop–start funding streams, many community groups organising energy cafes have to be innovative and creative in their fund raising. Funding for energy cafés has come from a range of sources, including local authorities, utilities, European funds and government programmes, such as the Big Energy Saving Network |
Papillon—a rental model for energy saving appliances for people in EP, France https://www.circularx.eu/en/cases/61/bosch-papillon-project-appliance-leasing | Co-creation between social organisation (Samenlevingsopbouw) and multinational (Bosch)—circular economy—product as a service—lowering energy consumption and bills, lowering CO2-emissions—rental contract over 10 years (service, repairs and guarantee included. This model has been developed by aid of Ashoka Europe and Schneider Electric Foundation |
MAGE (Mesurer et Accompagner pour Garantir les Economies), France | Addresses households that wish to benefit from a measurement tool designed by Eco CO2: a tablet connected to the electricity meter that indicates in real time the power consumption and individual coaching conducted by the association SoliHa Paris Hauts de Seine Val d' Oise. Energy coaching by local agents trained in MAGE (Module Mage: general + collective meeting + individual accompaniment + technology) |
L'Atelier solidaire, France | L'Atelier solidaire consists of a solidarity workshop conducted with the inhabitants. It has been created through a partnership between Toulouse Métropole, the City of Toulouse, Habitat Toulouse, EDF, the Caisse d'Allocations Familiales of Haute-Garonne via the Centre Social Empalot, Leroy-Merlin, and the Builder Companions. This workshop aims to reduce residents' energy and water costs, combat energy poverty, and create neighborhood-level social ties as part of the city's policy. Co-construction with local stakeholders (multi-partnership), empowerment and involvement of citizens, collective diagnosis of the needs to define the district of intervention and the needs of the vulnerable consumers to work on the comfort, safety of the electrical installations and the devices. Address both the energy poverty and poor housing |
Cold home toolkits, UK | Benefits include better standards of living, improved and more energy efficient houses, fewer avoidable winter deaths and reduces costs for the health, well-being and care services. Based on good practice from across England, the toolkits offer useful insight on the most effective ways of working, along with helpful case studies, and useful resources |
Tutor per l’Energia Domestica (TED), Italy https://www.ecologiaeconsulenza.it/sportelloenergia/tutor-energia-domestica/ | This measure is included in the broader project ASSIST (now closed). The specific measure consists in promoting the creation of a network of innovative professional figures to support vulnerable consumers with respect to their domestic energy consumption (the Household Energy Advisors) |
Energiesubsidiewijzer, Netherlands | Project promoted by the Dutch public administration with the civil organisation Milieu Centraal. It consists of a digital platform to explore possible grants, loans and other support measures to perform actions and works to improve energy efficiency and other energy subsidies. It is a digital, open and free platform |
Dampoort KnapT OP!, Belgium | The programme offers intensive social and construction technical guidance to "emergency buyers" (people that are in a poor financial situation after buying a house). The origins of the programme were in an innovative and democratic community model to retrofit significantly, and at affordable prices, vulnerable people's properties. The programme addresses houses located in Dampoort district, improving their quality, safety and energy efficiency. The programme involves actors from the business sector, social sector, communities and local authorities. The programme coordinator is the Public Center for Social Welfare in Gent (OCMW Gent) |
Bielefelder Klimabonus, Germany | The Bielefeld Klimabonus was introduced to generate energy savings and reduce social hardship by ensuring tenants were not priced out of their homes following an energy retrofit—which in Germany leads to an increase in rent. The Klimabonus operates using a pay-as-you-save model, whereby the money spent on the energy retrofit is gradually recouped through payment of a higher rental amount once the work is completed. It is designed around the principle that the lower the level of energy consumption for a property, the higher the rent which can be charged. This energy consumption must be documented and validated with an energy performance certificate. The result should be that the resident is no worse off, as the increased rental level is offset by the decrease in energy bills |
VERBUND-Stromhilfefonds, Austria | Double goal: help people in financial distress and climate goals. VERBUND electricity assistance fund of Caritas helps energy poor people with the following measures: (1) Energy saving and energy efficiency assessment for affected households. (2) Device replacement. (3) Emergency subsidies to pay bills before disconnection (which only applies if there is a previous energy assessment and efficiency measures) |
Energy Company Obligation (ECO), UK | Double goal: to help reduce carbon emissions and to tackle energy poverty. The energy efficiency scheme includes the following obligations: (1) Carbon Emissions Reduction Obligation (CERO)—Under CERO, obligated suppliers must promote ‘primary measures’, including roof and wall insulation and connections to district heating systems. Some CERO must also be delivered in rural areas. (2) Home Heating Cost Reduction Obligation (HHCRO)—Under HHCRO, obligated suppliers must promote measures which improve the ability of low income and vulnerable households to heat their homes. This includes actions that result in heating savings, such as the replacement or repair of a boiler. Each obligated supplier has an overall target based on its share of the domestic energy market in Britain |
Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland (HEEPS), UK https://www.eas.org.uk/home-energy-efficiency-programmes-for-scotland-heeps | Double goal: increase energy efficiency and tackle energy poverty. It is a cluster of programmes including: (1) Area-Based Schemes (starting in most deprived areas, according to data of multiple deprivation, child poverty, House conditions and heat mapping, with the aim of covering all homes in Scotland in 10 years)—Local Authorities/Free to the householder/All type of tenures. (2) Warmer Homes Scotland (7-year programme) including measures as wall insulation, loft insulation, draught-proofing, central heating and renewables—Home energy Scotland/Low-income homeowners or tenants of private sector landlords. (3) Home energy Scotland Loan Scheme: loans up to 32.500pounds and interest-free to install energy efficiency measures, such as wall insulation, double glazing, boilers, warm air units and other forms of renewable technologies—Home Energy Scotland/owner occupiers and registered private sector landlords. (4) equity loans to homeowners on low incomes, and small landlords, to help them make essential repairs to leaking roofs and building structures to make their homes warmer—Home Energy Scotland/Applied to local authorities areas (Glasgow City, Argyll and Bute, Perth and Kinross, Inverclyde, Renfrewshire, Stirling, Dundee and the Western Isles) |
Robin Hood Energy, UK (closed since 2020) https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/robin-hood-energy-limited-final-order-0 | Robin Hood Energy was the first not-for-profit energy company owned by a local authority. It was set up to tackle energy poverty and to help give people a cheaper, more helpful alternative to the “Big Six”. Launched and owned by Nottingham City Council, a not-for-profit company |
Community-based project for Biomass Briquette Production, Hungary | This project consisted of implementing a project of production of eco heating source—biomass briquettes from feedstock, donated by a local cooperative, to tackle both access to energy and energy poverty |
CAF-Acció, Spain | The project was implemented between October 2015 to October 2016 in seven self-funded communities in Catalonia, which were selected after taking into account geographic diversity, different kinds of users, and various operating group models. However, the methodological guidance and social interventions developed by the project represent a starting point, not a goal. The initial part of the project targeted migrants from Africa and South America who had been living in Catalonia for at least 3–4 years, and who were members of established communities with strong relationships and trust levels (usually around 10–15 people). The projects targeted migrants who do not have money to spend on energy efficiency improvements in their homes and who were likely to stay in their dwelling for at least 3 years |
Energy Local Club, UK | This is a pilot project for sixty vulnerable households that aims to promote the creation of similar initiatives across the UK. The goal is addressing energy poverty by increasing the local consumption of locally generated renewable energy (mostly solar power). The program is based on a pre-existing program that was restricted to households on credit meters (smart meters). The program consists in developing the technology and processes to include the most vulnerable consumers with prepayment meters in these schemes |